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I think it depends on class. College educated whites in the US tend to be very mobile and homogenized. Blue collar whites are more likely to remain closer to where they have roots, and as a result the working class white populations tends to have a regional feel based on the immigrant mix that came to specific areas.

I hate having to choose "white" on a form. I guess, as far as a forensic anthropologist is concerned, I'm "white." From where I sit, I'm Irish and French. And even they had a hard time accepting the different cultures, except that they were both Catholic. But if you think French people and Irish people are the same....well, come to one of my family functions and see who ends up bleeding lol!

No. White Americans are a diverse mix of European (and also North African/Middle Eastern) backgrounds. Just like "Hispanic" isn't an ethnicity (and most Hispanics, like most Americans, are multi-ethnic) "American" isn't.

I would say "White American" is an ethnic group (but, despite the name, you are not a part of it just because you are White and live in the US). Ethnicities evolve over time, they aren't concrete identities established x number of years ago from which we cannot deviate.

Most White Americans now speak English and share a similar culture, even if they have different ancestors. Yes, there are regional differences, but that is no different from the regional differences of the Han Chinese, or the very strong regional pride held by the Koreans from different part of the peninsula.

Would I say maybe the same applies to other American groups? Maybe, it depends. Most my interaction is with Asian Americans, which I don't consider one ethnic group yet because of the shorter period they have been in the nation for (as a large group) and because most I meet identify with their ancestral country than some Asian identity.

Definition of ethnic group.
People of the same race or nationality who share a distinctive culture

But White Americans of largely British Isles descent from the South are quite culturally different from a mixed Italian-Irish descended American from the Northeast, who is also different from a German/Scandanavian descended American from the Midwest. Various parts of the US have different immigrant sources and histories which contribute to the different culture.

So are White Americans a real ethnic group.

Italy and Ireland are two distinct countries. Don't mix the two ethnic groups.

Of course. If a group of white americans lived close to eachother in another country, it would likely be considered a white american enclave.

No, it wouldn't. It would be considered an American enclave. White wouldn't enter into the equation unless the enclave was full of dummies.

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